The Amalgam Universe: HOMECOMING
by Howard Night
Summary: Voyager arrives home to the Alpha Quadrant just as the "Great Merging" takes place and are shocked by what they witness upon reaching Earth.
1. Chapter 1

AMALGAM:  
>ACT I:<p>

**Part one: The Great Merging**

HOMECOMING PART I:  
>Voyagers arrival.<p>

Janeway sat rigid and tight in the command chair. Her legs were crossed in what she hoped was a relaxed pose but her muscles were tense and her back was beginning to ache. Her eyes stared forward, unblinking, at Voyagers main view screen. They had been so close before, so very close and still had this snatched away; home. They were finally going home, but they would not be sure until the view screen cleared and their sensors could register again. So she sat, rigid and tight, staring at the forward view screen.  
>The rest of the bridge crew took to their Captains example. All was quiet across the small bridge of the Intrepid class ship.<p>

Her X/O Commander Chakotay, found himself following her lead. Though he supported his Captain unconditionally, he had found that their opposing views had put them at odds for the most part in the past seven years. Not amazing considering that they had met only because she had chased him nearly halfway across the galaxy in order to arrest him. Instead circumstance forced the then rogue Starfleet Officer to join her crew as second in command. Now he sat next to her, as still as she, eyes also transfixed on the distorted view screen, waiting and hoping.  
>The helmsman, Tom Paris kept his eyes away from the screen and on his helm controls. He told himself he would not look up until his console told him something new. "A watched pot never boils" was an old Earth expression. It applied here. Paris was another Voyager Officer of circumstance. He had come aboard a prison parolee and now found himself at the helm. The "Ex-Convict" found himself wondering if the Voyagers seven year trek across the Galaxy would count as "Time served".<br>Security Officer Tuvok watched the screen impassively. A Vulcan, he lived his life as logically as any Vulcan ever had. Either they would find Earth after passing through this slipstream, or they would not. Either they would survive the trip while the entire ship was protected inside of the dying Borg shell or they would not. Emotion would not lend any help to their cause. Although another setback at this point would certainly be devastating emotionally to the non-Vulcans of the crew. Tuvak thought to offer a Vulcan prayer. It would have no bearing on the outcome he knew, but it might help prepare him to better assist his Captain and crew mates for what was to come, good or ill.  
>The most agitated of the Bridge crew was Lieutenant Harry Kim. He was the youngest bridge officer, having come to Voyager fresh out of Starfleet Academy, though after their adventure he had certainly earned his stripes and his fellow crewmen's respect. Never-the-less that did not stop him from looking back and forth from his Science station to the veiwscreen and back again. Again and again he called up the sensors trying to get them to read something… anything other than the rapidly deconstructing systems of the Borg sphere. His frustration mounted.<br>A hand slid over his console and reset the sensors for him. Not just any hand, a bionically augmented hand. Harry looked up and saw that Seven of Nine, once a Borg drone, was looking at him. Another odd member of the crew, she had joined the ship just a few years ago. This homecoming could not mean as much to her Harry thought, she had very little memory of Earth as it was, having been "Assimilated" by the Borg Collective when she was just… What was that?  
>The sensors reading the environment outside the Borg sphere came back on line lighting up his console like a Christmas tree. The Event Horizon of the Slipstream was breaking. Before he could even make a report He heard his Captain give the order to fire.<br>In a blaze of fire the Borg sphere broke apart all around them.  
>Janeway found herself standing as the most wonderful sight she had ever seen filled her eyes. She was not the only one. The huge bright blue and white ball called Earth sat dead center of their veiwscreen and a fleet of their fellow Starfleet ships was there to welcome them home.<br>"Captain, we're being hailed!" Kim reported.  
>"Put it through…" Janeway had to choke back a few tears. It was not appropriate for a Starship Captain to cry she knew, but dammit… they had finally come home.<br>The voice cut through loud and clear. Audible only, as Lieutenant Kim dared not take the beautiful Earth off the screen. There was a small flight of Starships in formation there to greet them.  
>"Starship Voyager, this Admiral Paris. On behalf of Starfleet Command; Welcome…"<br>Several warning lights flashed across Harry's console. His face was painted in the warm red lights.  
>"Captain…" he began to warn when Tuvok's voice rang out clear.<br>"I'm reading a massive power discharge… aft!" His face too, was bathed in warning light red.  
>The ship began to shudder from a force powerful enough to overcome the inertial compensators. There was a bright green flash of light, distorting nearly half of the veiwscreen. Janeway blinked hard but kept her eyes locked and saw the pulsating green beam streak from somewhere behind Voyager. The beam must have been giving off some powerful waves because before their eyes the small fleet of ships in the welcoming committee was set rolling. The beam continued past in an instant and struck the Earth, somewhere in the North Eastern continent of Africa Janeway noted in that instant. It was the last sight of her home she would ever remember. In the next instant, the planet EARTH exploded before their eyes.<br>The explosion sent a huge equatorial shockwave out, a giant band of superheated core matter. Voyager was buffeted by gravitational waves almost instantly.  
>"Gravitational shockwaves!" reported Tuvok.<br>"What just happened?" Chakotay screamed out. He had seen enough explosions to understand what he had just witnessed, still he needed confirmation… what he wanted was for someone to tell him that what he thought he saw was not what had actually happened.  
>"It gone! The Earth… it's been destroyed!" Paris stated it plainly.<br>"Harry report!" Chakotay ordered.  
>"I… it…" was all he could say. Quickly Seven of Nine stepped behind his console and scanned the readouts. Before she could answer Tuvok warned;<br>"We are directly in the path of the shockwave!"  
>"There is a massive object bearing on Earths… former position." Seven reported. "From the power readings it is the object that discharged the energy beam that hit the Earth."<br>"Twenty seconds until the shockwave hits us!" Tuvok continued.  
>"Captain?" Paris hands hung over the helm controls, torn between shock, acting, and waiting for orders.<br>Janeway still stood from her command char, still rigid, hands in tight fists at her side. Her eyes were still locked on the view screen, watching as the bright red shockwave band grew, as it headed directly for them.  
>"Captain?" Chakotay called out. He had never seen her freeze up before.<br>"I've got calls coming in from a dozen vessels that were in orbit. They can't escape the shockwave!" Harry Kim reported shakily.  
>"Captain?" Paris began to plot a course.<br>"Impact in ten seconds." Reported Tuvok. "Orders Captain!"  
>Finally Janeway responded. Her head snapped around her eyes were full of fire and tears.<br>"RED ALERT! SHIELDS UP! All hands brace for impact! Tom get us moving!"  
>Voyager was a smaller Starfleet vessel than most, and so a hell of lot more maneuverable, and Tom Paris was one of the best pilots to come out of the Academy. The few seconds they had left were too little for an ordinary pilot to get anything done; fortunately Tom Paris was better than that. Plus he had already started Voyager moving before he got the order.<br>Even so the ship was going to take one hell of a beating and it did. Janeway grabbed her seat in time and was not dumped onto the deck as the first wave hit. She watched the screen and witnessed a few of the Starfleet welcoming ships that did not have crackerjack pilots get caught in the band and disappear. Those ships were swallowed by the shockwave and their warp cores blew. Those eruptions only added to the waves of devastation rolling over Voyager.  
>"Tom, pitch us over the shockwave!" Chakotay ordered.<br>"It's not so easy!" Paris screamed back. Indeed the ship was attempting to ride over the "crest" of the wave. Paris would have applied more power to the impulse engines if he had not had the proverbial "pedal to the metal" as it was.

"You see the power of this Station your Highness? It is… What is it?" Governor Tarkin saw the mad scrambling of personnel at the consoles of his control room. From the way the technicians were nervously tapping their keyboards he could tell that something was seriously wrong. He looked over his shoulder to tall figure in shiny black armor, Lord Darth Vader. Vader's soulless eyes simply reflected back the bright burning fire of the now destroyed planet Alderaan. If he sensed what was wrong he was saying nothing yet. In Vader's grasp was the young woman Tarkin had been talking to, Princess Leia Organa, a diplomat, now exposed as a spy. Alderaan had been her home world and she sank in Vader's steel hold sobbing. It was the first time Tarkin had seen any vulnerability in the young woman. Everything was as it should be except those damn techs were not calming down, there were growing more excited.  
>"REPORT!" he commanded.<br>Behind him Vader spoke before any of the techs could answer. His deep resonate, electronic voice echoed throughout the room.  
>"<strong>YOU'VE MISSED<strong>."  
>"Preposterous! You saw the planet destroyed the same as I." Tarkin argued. But Vader fell silent. The prisoner in his arms was looking up; tear filled eyes wide as she looked past Tarkin for any hope that Vader was right.<br>"A small fleet of ships has just appeared on our scopes!" finally something from his crew.  
>"A fleet? Alderaan has no fleet. What make are the ships?"<br>"We've got a large gravitational mass bearing on our position!" came a tech from another station.  
>"What is it?" Tarkin demanded.<br>"Navigation is down!" reported yet another.  
>"What? Why?"<br>"Ships are of unknown make or origin!"  
>"Impossible. Identify them immediately!" Tarkin barked orders but could tell from the techs reactions that his commands were going to be hard to obey.<br>"Have the systems been effected by the firing of the main gun?" He proposed.  
>"Systems are operating nominally. The discharge has not affected them."<br>"The unknown ships are powered by small, localized fields… similar to gravitational fields. No known match in our library."  
>Tarkin turned to the Princess. "Alderaan has amassed a fleet built on new technology?" but her face held no answers.<br>"**THAT WAS NOT ALDERAAN**." Vader intoned.  
>"What?"<br>"Navigation has run a check; we are no longer in the Alderaan system."  
>Tarkin looked at the tech who gave the report. That tech might have cowered under the glare if it were not for the fact that he found himself staring at his own console read outs, amazed by what he saw there.<br>"Where are we?" The decision to destroy Alderaan had not been made hastily. Despite the power of the Empire, and this station, control was still a precarious thing. Fear went a long way but too much and all the systems would revolt. If they had just destroyed a key system, or a planet that was already complying with the Emperor then other planets already submitting to his control would panic and revolt. Control would be impossible if the local systems thought that the Empire would destroy them all no matter what. This could be disastrous.  
>"The large gravitational mass has been identified as a moon. It's on a collision course!"<br>"The unknown ships are moving to intercept!"  
>"Move the station!" Tarkin ordered. "Power the gun again, and launch the Tie Squadrons! And someone find out where we are and what planet that was that we destroyed! Vader?"<br>But the tall dark figure was already moving, dragging away Leia Organa. As he past his personal guard he commanded;  
>"<strong>READY MY SHIP<strong>."  
>"As you command Lord Vader."<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

AMALGAM

ACT I:  
><strong>Part one: The Great Merging<br>**HOMECOMING PART II:  
>STARFLEET MEETS THE EMPIRE<p>

"The alien ship has launched several small squadrons of what may be classified as fighter craft!" Tuvok relayed from his station.  
>"On screen." Janeway ordered. The alien ship was so immense in comparison to the small fighter craft that the image on Voyagers viewscreen looked more like a shot of a planets horizon rather than the docking port of a spacecraft.<br>The strange ships were "H" shaped, with a pod suspended between twin hexagonal wings. They shot away from the goliath alien craft in a ridged, disciplined attack formation. Again the size of their mother-ship drew gasps from the Starfllet bridge crew as the view screen image pulled back from the alien docking bay…  
>…and continued to pull back…<br>…and back…  
>…and still further back trying to get the whole image of the sphere shaped object into frame.<br>"It doesn't look Borg." Paris offered.  
>"It does not have a Borg power signature." This came from Seven-of-Nine, the strikingly beautiful crewman who had, at one time, been a member of the most dreaded enemy the Federation had ever faced. Standing by Lt. Kim, at an auxiliary terminal, the usually stoic face woman was battling to maintain her composure. In all her time in the Borg Collective, with their vast experience and knowledge, she had never come across any single artificial power that could destroy an entire planet.<br>"What about those fighters?" Paris reminded everyone.  
>"They appear to be one man crewed vessels," Tuvok reported. "Their power signature is unfamiliar."<br>"We're receiving distress calls from almost a dozen ships!" Kim had nearly missed the glowing alerts on his console. "As well as calls for help from Tycho City… the Lunar One Colony… Tranquility base…"  
>"The Alien vessels are moving to engage the fleet." Again Tuvok reported.<br>"They can't be in any shape to defend themselves." Paris glanced over his shoulder at Janeway.  
>"Are we?" Chakotay warned.<br>Janeway worked her jaw tightly, then; "Tom set a course… to intercept the alien vessel. Tuvok, get me an account of all Starfleet ships still able to fight. Harry?" She kept her eyes on the viewscreen. "Open a channel to what's left of the fleet."  
>"Bringing us about Captain." Paris complied.<br>"Six of the ships sent to repel the Borg sphere appear to have escaped the shockwave with minimal to no damage; three Defiant class ships, two Galaxy class and one Prometheus …, thee Prometheus…" Tuvok surveyed his readouts.  
>"If that ship has the power to destroy an "M"-class planet it won't have much of a problem with what's left of the fleet, Captain." Chakotay pressed.<br>"Channel open, Captain." Kim informed her.  
>"…Three ships showing major systems failures; The USS Yeager, The USS Hood and a Nebula class ship of unknown registry. One ship, another Saber class, is listing…"<br>Janeway stood from her command chair. "Attention all Starfleet personnel…All ships that are able…"  
>"Weapons range in ten minutes, Captain." Paris said.<br>"No sign of the remaining eight ships. There are however several ships launching from Luna." Tuvok continued his report.  
>"…this is Captain Kathryn Janeway. I…"<br>"Captain, we'll never take down a ship that size! We need to recover as many survivors as possible." Chakotay stood behind her.  
>"…I am taking command of the Fleet. Prepare to commence AND to defend rescue operations!"<br>"The USS OBAMA and the USS RAIDER are taking Viking positions behind us." Tuvok placed the view of the two Starfleet ships pulling in behind Voyagers charge onto the main screen."  
>"Hail the Commander of the OBAMA and the other Galaxy class ships. Order them back to Luna and rescue as many survivors as they can!" Janeway returned to her command chair and checked her tactical display.<br>Lt. Kim relayed her orders and behind Voyager, the OBAMA pulled away while the USS RAIDER was joined by another Defiant class ship.  
>"There's a squadron of Starfleet Attack Fighters moving to intercept the smaller alien ships." The view screen changed again at Tuvoks report. The view slid from the strange "H" shaped ships to the incoming Starfleet craft.<br>"They're going in hot!" Paris' hands flew over his controls as Voyager raced to engage the enemy. "Where did they come from?"  
>"They are short range fighters." Tuvok surmised. "There must be a Federation bulk cruiser on the other side of the alien vessel."<br>"Do we have any idea why the Earth was attacked?" Chakotay was looking from Janeway to Tuvok and back again. "Any idea WHO they are?"

The Starfleet Fighters opened fire first. The Phaser beams lanced across space and swept across the Tie-Fighter formation.

"Report!" Tarkin watched the opening salvo with apprehension. The Tech hesitated once more as he struggled with the readings his terminal was giving him. "REPORT!"  
>"Sir… the Unidentified ships have fired on the Tie Squadrons…"<br>"I can see that!"  
>"From more than ten times the Tie-Fighter weapons range!"<br>"Ten times? What kind of weapons…" Tarkin felt the unease that had been rising in his stomach well up just that much more. Unknown planet, unknown alien fleet… unknown alien technology… This could be…  
>"Ineffective!" The Tech shouted triumphantly.<br>"Ineffective?" Tarkin walked over and looked over the Techs shoulder. The observation deck seemed a little sturdier suddenly.  
>"Yes Sir. They appear to be firing some kind of…"<p>

"Phaser fire shows no effect." Tuvoks voice was calm and composed as always. Janeway watched as the "H"-winged craft flew through the Phaser assault unimpeded. The bright orange colored beams deflected away from the ships leading her to believe that the ships were shielded similarly to their own.  
>"Why haven't they returned fire?" She asked.<br>The two fighter squads raced headlong toward each other. Again the Starfleet ships fired and again their Phaser beams crossed the distance in-between in an instant only "reflect" harshly off the "H"-wings shields.  
>"Load Transphasic Torpedoes." She ordered. Voyagers Phaser banks were more powerful than the Starfleet Attack Fighters… but not much more. And from the size of that ship…<br>"We don't know if that will work." Chakotay argued.  
>"We aren't going to survive this by being conservative." She barked.<br>"Those torpedoes are in short supply, Captain. We should try and communicate with the alien ship… we should be thinking…about surrender."  
>Janeway snapped her head up at Chakotay, aghast. "Surrender?"<br>"Captain, they destroyed an entire planet! I don't think…"  
>"THEY DESTROYED THE EARTH!" She screamed. The bridge was suddenly quiet. "What exactly, Commander, is LEFT to surrender to them?"<br>For another moment the bridge was filled with a deafening quiet, as if eight billion voices had cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced.  
>Tuvok, undeterred, was still monitoring the battle. "The Starfleet Fighters have closed to torpedo range. The Alien craft still have not… they are opening fire now."<br>The "H"-wings spat bright green pulses at the Starfleet ships. So slow moving was the alien fire that the Starfleet ships dodged the opening salvo quiet easily.  
>After a moment Janeway asked, "Tuvok?"<br>"I cannot determine what exactly the alien craft are firing," he said puzzled.  
>"That looked almost like… projectile fire?" Paris said just as perplexed.<br>"Negative," Tuvok told them. "The alien barrage exhibits no mass."  
>"But it is not an energy projection either," Seven added. "It moves too slowly to be an energy beam."<br>"Starfleet torpedoes away." Indeed Tuvok was right Janeway saw the icons light up on her tactical display. She looked up to the view screen and watched the small flashes of light fly from the Starfleet fighters toward the alien "H"-fighters. It was a desperate move, she knew, trying to hit fast moving fighters with slow moving torpedoes.  
>The "H"-wings broke formation and dodged the Starfleet torpedoes just as easily. Then the two opposing squadrons engaged each other at close range.<br>At such close quarters the maneuverability of the alien craft outclassed the Starfleet ships and at this range the slow moving alien weapons fire could not be avoided.  
>The pulses hit with devastating effect. The Starfleet shields flared brightly when hit, but not as bright as the following explosion when the alien fire, undeterred, continued on to rip apart the ship. The "H"-wings destroyed six Starfleet fighters in the first pass alone, then turned to make another run.<br>The bridge once again lapsed into silence as they watched the results. Chakotay turned to Lt. Kim. "Open a hailing channel to the alien vessel…"  
>"Belay that!" Janeway ordered. "Tuvok, why did they wait so long to fire?"<br>"Captain!" Chakotay insisted. "We're outmatched here. There is no way to defend…"  
>"The Alien weapons do not seem to be effective at long range." Tuvok cut Chakotay off. However, he was not sure that he all together disagreed with the First Officers assessment of the situation.<br>"Yes. The power signature of their pulse bolts dissipates quickly before it even reaches a quarter of our weapons effective range." Seven supported.  
>"Mr. Paris…"<br>"I'm on it, Captain." Paris adjusted his heading.  
>"Relay the information to the other ships." Janeway stated grimly.<br>"The Starfleet fighters have all been destroyed. The Alien fighter craft are moving to engage us." Tuvok adjusted the view screen again, the "H"-wings were flying right at them.  
>"The OBAMA is hailing us."<br>"Put them through Lt. Kim."  
>The view screen changed again and was filled with a Galaxy-class Starship Bridge. The Captain was standing and immediately addressed Janeway.<br>"Captain Janeway, the Moon cities are well into evacuations but we're looking at losing eighty to ninety percent of the populace there. Most of the escape vehicles already launched don't have warp capability." The Captain of the OBAMA was a tall dark woman. Her uniform was scorched across her shoulders, evidence that her ship had barely made it through the destruction of their home world.  
>"How much time do you need, Captain?" Janeway looked over the OBAMAs bridge crew. None of their faces reflected any hope.<br>"Captain Janeway, we'll never be able to get to everyone who is still alive on the Moon, or any of the orbiting satellite stations. Not with that… thing baring done on us."  
>"What about getting help… more ships… from the rest of the Solar colonies?" she asked.<br>"That's a possibility. But after seeing the firepower of the alien ship those colonies are already beginning their own evacuations." The dark woman brushed a lock of her jet black hair out of her eyes. "It seems to only be the one ship but it came out of nowhere, at the same time the stars realigned…"  
>"Realigned?" Janeway asked.<br>"Captain," Tuvok warned. "Alien fighters are entering weapons range."  
>"Captain…" Chakotay started but Janeway turned away from him.<br>"We need to hold them off for as long as we can. We need someway to penetrate their shields…"  
>"Captain…"<br>"Their power systems are completely unfamiliar." Tuvok said. "Many of the readings are off the scale."  
>"Sensors cannot penetrate the alien hulls." Seven of Nine was spinning from one terminal to another.<br>"They're closing fast!" Paris warned.  
>"Captain, there's no way we can…"<br>"Tom, change course! Keep us out of range of those fighters but take us on an attack run of the alien mother ship.  
>"CAPTAIN!" Chakotay stood.<br>"Tuvok, I want those Transphasic torpedoes ready."  
>"We won't last an instant against those weapons!" Chakotay was standing. "We need to surrender!"<br>Janeway stood as well and sidestepped Chakotay to address the Captain of the OBAMA. "Save as many as you can, Captain," she stated. Then she looked to Tom.  
>"I'll need your best Mr. Paris."<br>Tom looked down at his controls and thought of his wife B'Ellana Torres, now in sick bay giving birth to their child. "They'll never touch us." He said more to himself than to his Captain, because it was more of a prayer than a pledge.

"Three of the larger ships are making an attack run, Sir."  
>Tarkin paced back and forth across the command deck. After seeing the results of the fighter skirmish he had relaxed a bit but the puzzle of where exactly they were and how they got here was beginning to weigh on his mind. Without navigation they would be stranded, they could not risk a hyperspace jump without plotted hyperspace lanes. Without recognized star fixes they would be unable to communicate with the rest of the Empire.<br>For the immediate future they would be on their own.  
>"Send out another squadron of Tie-Fighters," he ordered.<br>"Lord Vader has launched with his escorts and is moving to intercept," another tech reported.  
>Tarkin regarded the tactical display. The defenses of the enemy fighters had been pitiful. Their larger battleships should prove not be much more of a challenge.<br>They had wiped out a planet and from the reports coming in it was likely the prime planet of this system. Long range sensors detected minor settlements scattered throughout the system but no major planetary habitation. More proof of these aliens inferior technology… however unknown it was to the empire. At least two of the other planets in this system should have been terraformed for mass population but for whatever reason they were not. He had no knowledge of any system in the galaxy that was like this.  
>Where were they?<br>They would need answers. The destroyed planets moon was closest and settlements had been detected there. It had gone spinning out of orbit of course but raiding it for prisoners and information should not be a problem. They could attend to the rest of the system when they had more answers.  
>And by "attend", Tarkin was thinking "destroy all evidence".<p>

"Second group of enemy fighters moving to intercept," Tuvok warned. "A squadron of three…" These were more of the "H"-wing fighters save for the lead ship. It was obviously of the same class of fighter but the wings were convex and the pod a bit larger. The three ships were flying directly for them and would cut them off before they could launch their torpedoes.  
>"You're being hailed by the RAIDER, Captain." Kim called out.<br>"On screen."  
>Immediately the Captain of the USS RAIDER was on the screen. "Janeway, drop back. We'll shield you on your way in."<br>"Will do, Captain." Janeway answered tightly knowing full well what the Captain of the USS RAIDER was offering; his ship for their one shot at… what? Revenge?  
>The Captain of the RAIDER clenched his jaw. "I hope those Transphasics are as effective against these bastards as they were against the Borg."<br>The screen cut back to the view of the incoming "H"-wings. Janeway watched as the RAIDER and the other Dauntless class starship moved into the "Viking" defensive positions. They opened up fire on the "H"-wings but their phaser fire was just as pointless as the Starfleet Fighters fire had been. The RAIDER and the… TAURUS, Janeway finally saw the designation pop up on her tactical readout, sent even more high powered volleys of phaser fire at the enemy. From the slightly fluctuating color of the beams coming from the TAURUS Janeway guess they were attempting to beat the enemy shields by finding a frequency that would allow the beam to pass through to the ships.  
>But the beams reflected off the enemy shields without any change. The RAIDER fired off a volley of photon torpedoes which the "H"-wings dipped easily enough. The TAURUS fired off a volley themselves, none of which found their target. Janeway was about to order them to save the limited weapons but then she realized what her fellow Captains were doing. In order to dodge the torpedoes the enemy ships had to change their attack angle, giving the attacking Starfleet ships a chance to make their attack run without being cut off.<br>The enemy must have sensed this as the next volley of torpedoes was fired on. Not by all the ships, the two escorts dodged off course to avoid them, only the lead ship stayed on course and fired on the torpedoes detonating them and flying easily through the dazzling explosions. The computer targeting systems of the alien ships must be unbelievably fast, Janeway realized to be able to track and hit the torpedoes that well.  
>The goliath station loomed closer, Janeway looked at her tactical readout for somewhere to send the torpedoes if they made it close enough to fire them. But the ship was SO massive…where could they possibly do any damage?<br>As if reading her mind Tuvok voiced his thoughts on queue. "Targeting one of the firing apertures of their main weapon."  
>The computer highlighted the lens fixture set around the rim of the concave depression which marked the location of the main weapon.<br>"Will they still be able to fire if we take out one of those… lenses?" she asked.  
>Tuvok raised an eyebrow. "Unknown. We have not been able to analyze the enemy weapon find any conclusive weaknesses. But at this point I believe the saying; 'couldn't hurt', applies."<br>Janeway nodded sharply. "Tom?"  
>"I'm on it."<br>There came a violent explosion just off screen. The view shifted a bit and the TAURUS came into view. There were explosions running across half of the ship as the enemy fighters opened up on it. Again the Starfleet shields were completely useless. The green and red pulses not only flew through the shield unimpeded but in some cases they breached the ship and came out the other side. The enemy fighters flew past and began to turn, once more displaying that remarkable maneuverability.  
>The RAIDER turned hard trying to keep itself in between VOYAGER and the turning enemy ships. Red and green pulses flashed again. The RAIDER fired off another volley of torpedoes and when VOYAGER lurched from an explosion, Janeway knew that at least one of those had been a quantum torpedo.<br>She turned hard in her chair and looked from Tuvok to Seven of Nine. Both of them monitored the explosion for a moment and then announced together;  
>"No effect."<br>"We're coming in range of the target." Paris declared.  
>The RAIDER was still behind them now, still maintaining position between them and the enemy ships.<br>"Target the lens." Janeway ordered. She watched the view of the RAIDER behind them taking enemy fire. Soon the ship was pin wheeling out of control, ablaze and falling apart. Several escape pods jettisoned, but to what end? Who would be there to pick them up?  
>The ship broke into three large pieces, each spinning… nastily still on fire. Moments, Janeway thought, their deaths had brought them only moments of…<br>The three "H"wings were attempting to fly through the wreckage. Their shields couldn't be THAT…  
>No! One by one the enemy ships collided with the debris and exploded as they tried to reach VOYAGER before she could reach the mother ship. It was the first losses the aliens suffered. The three… no only two of the enemy ships had been destroyed. The third ship, the leader, flew through the debris of the fallen RAIDER with uncanny agility, dipping and turning almost as if he knew where the debris was going to move before it did. These aliens could not be human.<br>Still, the enemy leader was slowed down enough that VOYAGER was going to be able to launch its Transphasic payload.  
>"Weapons fire from the alien vessel." Tuvok warned. Indeed the same green pulses arced out toward VOYAGER. So deadly when up close, the slow moving fire, now, could not catch the fast moving ship at this distance. Tom spun the ship through enemy fire as they raced into position to fire.<br>"Target in range."  
>"Fire, full spread, Tuvok!" Janeway ordered.<br>The Transphasic torpedoes flew free. The weapons should not even exist, Janeway knew, a "gift" from her own future self. An alternate future that would be now. Her older self had never mentioned encountering a species with this much power. Nor had she told Janeway of the destruction of their homeworld.  
>"Incoming fire!" Tuvok called out. The alien pilot, the leader of the small squadron of "H"-wings had somehow caught up to them. Bright red fire flashed over VOYAGERs bow.<br>"TOM!" Janeway called out. She watched his hands fly over the controls as he tried to keep them from being ripped apart by the unstoppable bolts. But the alien pilot was too good and the ship lurched when hit.  
>Once…<br>"We've been hit! Shields down!"  
>Janeway watched the Transphasic torpedoes pass through the enemy fire on their way toward the target.<br>…twice…  
>"Structural damage to the aft deck!"<br>Enemy fire managed to hit two of the torpedoes, but the out of phase nature of the technology allowed them to keep on moving.  
>…three hits…<br>"Weapons offline!"  
>Janeway saw the first of the Transphasic torpedoes hit the alien lens assembly with a satisfying explosion before the last of the enemy pilots pulse blasts actually pierced the bridge…<br>…and then everything went black…


	3. Chapter 3

AMALGAM

AMALGAM

ACT I:  
><strong>Part one: The Great Merging<br>**HOMECOMING PART III:  
>SOL CONQUERED<p>

"FIRE!" the command rang in his ears and obediently he swung his arm around the bulk head, closed his eyes and squeezed the trigger.

The volley of phaser fire filled the narrow corridor and raked across the invaders. Their gleaming white armor proved to be far less resistant to hand phasers than the alien spacecraft had been. A high enough setting and the phaser beam would cut through the armor in a matter of seconds. But in those seconds the Starfleet personnel had to expose themselves to return fire. These alien invaders moved and attacked with military training and precision. They easily took advantage of the tactical difference. The Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards was certain to fall into the invaders hands before the station reached the "day" side.

He did not know if he had hit anything being too scared to look. Quickly he pulled his hand back as the enemy returned fire.

Bright red pulses that looked like projectile fire, but burned through or disintegrated everything they hit, ripped through the Starfleet defensive positions. The bulk head he was using as cover opened up like tissue paper and the red bolts passed right by his face.

He hit the ground shaking trying once more to escape, to "will" himself to safety but that power seemed to be taken from him. Taken the moment the stars had gone all crazy. Now the universe seemed alien to him… and to press in on him from all sides holding him in one place…and in this time. There would be no easy escape.

The enemy had already taken the command center and now they were making their way to each of the ships still docked there. As far as he knew none of the other Starfleet ships had managed to weigh anchor. His own ship, the _TITAN_, was docked on the very ring on which they were now fighting. He should be aboard her, helping to get the ship up and running and ready to shove off but he had been aboard the Shipyard station when the enemy attacked. Now he was part of the small contingent of defenders under orders to hold off the enemy long enough to get the _USS TITAN_flight ready.

"Fall back!" Commander Hathaway cried out.

He moved at once as he heard the order. The enemy was so close now that he could hear the click-clack of their metal boots on the deck plating. So he ran as fast as he could with hunched shoulders as the red bolts flew past him.

Ahead of him he saw Rodriguez struck in the back… then Collins…but he kept running low until a power conduit exploded just as he rounded a corner. The blast knocked him off his feet and he landed in a heap on top the bodies of his comrades.

His ears were ringing and his head swam. The gleaming white armored invaders stomped around the corner with their black rifles ready to fire.

His death was very near…then he saw that he had not dropped his phaser. Time seemed to slow around him as he raised the weapon. He knew there was no way he could get off a shot before they killed him but he tried anyway. Death had attempted to take him many times before but he had always managed to elude or beat it back. At one point he had figured himself to be unkillable… immortal…

…but then the stars realigned…

…and now death was bearing down finally, wearing ghostly white armor with macabre skeletal helmets. The explorer in him briefly wondered what the aliens looked like beneath the skull-like masks.

They opened fire. The red bolts arced across the room toward him and his fallen comrades. Instinctively he twisted away and…

…somehow…

…he dodged the bolts!

But only by the merest of margins. The bolts were moving slower than they had been… no… wait! EVERYTHING was moving slower.

Everything but him.

He pulled the trigger of his phaser and let loose a beam. It hit the lead invader square in his chest. The strike smoldered and began to eat its way into the armor at a painstakingly slow pace. The invader turned his weapon toward him and he knew that the beam would not cut through in time. A flick of the wrist and the phaser beam raked up the invaders chest and hit him directly in the neck joint.

The effect was instantaneous. Set so high, the phaser beam vaporized the invader beneath his armor which collapsed in pieces to the floor.

He fired again and again at the invaders, their red pulse bolts flying past him as he dodged and returned fire with amazing accuracy. Soon the corridor was filled not only with the bodies of fallen Starfleet but with the half empty white armor of the enemy.

Time returned to normal as he stood now alone in the corridor breathing hard. Somehow, he had managed to exert some measure of control over the power he had once wielded so casually. He had slowed down time itself.

But only barely. He had to get to the _TITAN _or he would surely be…

Footsteps sounded in the far corridor. Not more of the invaders he thought, for he could only hear one pair of heavy thudding steps. But there was a measure of power in the steps… and it got both hot and cold in the corridor suddenly.

His comm badge beeped then and through static he could hear his commanding officer barking orders.

"This is Captain Riker to the defense team. Fall back to the ship. We're ready to make way! Does anyone read me?"

He held his breath as the footsteps sounded ever closer and neared the bulkhead where the invaders bodies lay. An even stranger sound drew closer as well, much like the sound of broken cooling fans or a rasping, even…mechanical breathing. Fear took a hold of him in a way he had never known.

"This is Captain Riker! Does anyone read me? Commander Forcier? Commander Hathaway?"

This invader was different. Big, tall almost as the corridor itself and instead of white armor he was clad in all black with a large black cape draped over his massive shoulders. His helmet was similar to the others but much more menacing. The mechanical breathing came directly from the metal vent beneath the dark eye lenses.

The huge Dark InVader glanced at his fallen soldiers almost calmly then turned the coal black eyes of his mask toward the only living being in the corridor.

"Again, if you can hear me, fall back!" Rikers voice buzzed softly in his ear sounding very small compared to the sound of his pounding heartbeat as the dark invader stepped closer to him.

"Fall back to the ship! Anyone? Lt. Commander Crusher? Damn it Wesley where are you?"

So focused, was he, on the coal black eyes now bearing down on him that he only heard his name called in a dreamlike way. All he really could hear was the mechanical forced breathing which seemed to fill the corridor.

Then the invader spoke with a voice as deep as space is black.

**"THE FORCE IS STRONG IN YOU"  
><strong>

"Tuvok!" Janeway woke with a start to emergency lighting and the moans of her crew. She tried to look about but her hair had fallen into her eyes. When she tried to brush it way she found that her arms were pinned to her sides.

"Captain?" gentle fingers pulled her hair back for her and she looked up into the eyes of her most unusual crewman.

"Doctor?" she realized then that she was in sick bay. "Report."

"Sorry about the restraints, Captain, but you were thrashing so violently in your sleep." The Holographic physician touched the nearby console and Janeway felt the pressure binding her arms and legs disappear.

She sat up at once and a wave of dizziness threatened to put her back down. Through a clenched jaw she asked; "What's happening?"

The Doctor waved a tricorder over her as he explained. "You suffered a concussion in the attack of that monstrosity that destroyed Earth. You've been unconscious for the better part of two days. I placed you on a regimen of cortical stimulation treatment. Only in the past few hours have you…"

She cut him off. "What's happening to the SHIP?"

The Doctor almost looked hurt. He placed the tricorder down and walked to a nearby veiwscreen. "Perhaps the Acting Captain should explain."

After a moment the bruised face of her Security Officer filled the screen.

"She's awake, Captain, and in a pleasant mood" said the Doctor sarcastically.

"It is good to see you well, Captain" Tuvok said in his usual stoic demeanor.

"Tuvok? You're Acting Captain?" Janeway asked then looked about sick bay. Every bed was taken but in none of them did she see her First Officer…

"Commander Chakotay was killed during our attack run on the alien sphere. I assumed Command then and moved the Bridge to Engineering."

Chakotay…dead? Janeway could not help but to continue to look about sick bay. "How many…"

"23 crewmembers died in the initial attack." The Doctor told her then. "5 succumbed to injuries since then and we have more than 40 wounded many of whom are still at their posts."

"We are currently engaged in rescue operations" Tuvok reported. "The Alien Sphere withdrew after our attack but then launched several hundred attack craft. They have destroyed or captured every facility in the inner solar system. Currently the Utopia Planitia Shipyards is under attack."

"Where are we?" Janeway finally stood from the sick bay bed. With a Starfleet Captains resolve she gritted through a brief wave of dizziness.

"We are currently in orbit over Europa and taking on passengers." Tuvok told her.

"Passengers? What about…"

"Admiral Paris, who took command of the fleet, has ordered an evacuation of the entire system."

Janeway looked aghast at her Security Officer. "Evacuation? What about…"

"Our attack run was successful in forestalling the Alien ship from firing its main weapon again but our analysis indicates that they will be able to return to firing readiness within one solar day. So far only the transphasic torpedoes have proven effective against them in combat and we have exhausted our supply."

Janeway took a breath. After struggling for so long to get her crew home…after so many losses and sacrifices for that one goal…to have to…

"How long before we can re-arm?" her voice had a deadly tone.

Tuvok actually grimaced ever so slightly. "We have several repairs to key systems to make before we can begin the fabrication of new transphasic weapons. Most of our personnel are working toward making Voyager capable of high warp or helping to settle in the…"

"Put Seven of Nine to work on the torpedoes." Janeway barked.

"Seven of Nine is currently in Astrometrics attempting to…"

"ASTROMETRICS? Why would you order her to…" Janeway gasped suddenly at the throbbing in her head. The Doctor was beside her in an instant.

"Captain, please! You received a severe concussion!" he tried to pulled her back to her sickbed.

"We discovered," Tuvok explained. "…that something has happened to the very universe. Moments after we returned to Earth space the stars 'realigned'. With the exception of the Sol system…nothing is as it should be. Seven is in Astrometrics attempting to map the surrounding systems now. Primarily looking for a place to retreat to, on Admiral Paris' orders."

"We're just going to leave Earth?" Janeway asked in almost a whisper. No amount of discipline derived from having undergone the _Kolinahr _could keep the look of pain and sympathy from shading over Tuvoks face. Her pain was his but he knew that he must say it anyway.

"Captain…there is no Earth to leave."

Vader stared down at the empty deck plating where the curious young man had been cowering just moments before. What had happened to the boy? Had it been some kind of suicide? Vader was certain he had not seen the boy turn his weapon on himself but never-the-less he had seemed to be vaporized right before his eyes.

Inside the black metal helmet the Sith Lord closed his eyes and sought answers in the Force. The strange boy was…

…not dead…

…no…

…still very much alive…

…and somewhere with friends…

…YES! The strange boy had simply escaped him.

He stepped beyond the corridor onto an observation deck. Through the huge picture window he watched as the last of the strangely shaped spacecraft pulled away from the station and made its escape. Such strange technology these people had…Energy-matter-transportation-technology…soon to be in the hands of the Empire. And Vader new he would meet the boy again, as well as any of these new strangers who might have show some talent in the Force.

END

HOMECOMING


End file.
